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MSG, a flavor enhancer, was first introduced into Asian cuisine from seaweed extract and refined as a food additive in Japan in 1907. It is a naturally occurring amino acid found in many foods. Health concerns have been difficult to quantify, but research since 2004 has found it to be harmless. MSG is used in over 1.5 million tons of food each year and is also used in fertilizers and fungicides.
MSG, an abbreviation of monosodium glutamate, is a flavor enhancer first introduced into the Asian cuisine diet from seaweed extract, and later refined as a food additive by Kikunae Ikeda in Japan in 1907. Japanese soldiers had included MSG in their rations during World War II, and this was eventually noticed by American military forces, who brought it to the United States in the late 1940s, where it became a household word in the 1960s. Monosodium glutamate is a naturally occurring amino acid that is not required by the human body for health, but the glutamic acid from which it is derived is a common salt found in a wide variety of foods and is often listed on labels as hydrolyzed protein, yeast or soy extract.
Given that MSG is so pervasive in the diet in both refined and natural forms, health concerns of its effects have been difficult to quantify. Every form of hydrolyzed protein, from sodium caseinate to autolyzed yeast, contains some form of glutamic acid from which MSG is derived. Large-scale production of soda salts began in 1956 when the Japanese perfected a brewing method at the Ajinmoto company, which holds a patent on MSG. With increased distribution of the product to thousands of different food product lines, some health side effects have begun to be attributed to it.
Research in the late 1960s and early 1970s suggested potential toxicity issues for MSG, particularly where it was incorporated into baby food at the time. Food regulations in many countries from the United States to Australia and New Zealand now require all MSG to be labeled as a food additive where it is used. Toxicology research since 2004 has found that, even in large quantities, MSG should be considered harmless.
There are some differences of opinion about the effects of the refined form of MSG versus its natural sodium salt counterparts. By perfecting the manufacturing process, the Ajinomoto Company was able to produce MSG in which 99.6% of the volume is made up of the flavor enhancing compound L-glutamate. Other unrefined forms of glutamic acids, however, typically have 95% or less of the chemical L-glutamate, so the differences aren’t too great. Whether or not MSG has harmful long-term health effects, use continues to grow, with over 1.5 million tons of MSG being consumed each year.
In addition to being used as a food additive, MSG has been found to be a useful component of plant growth. Glutamic acid derivatives are now incorporated into fertilizers and fungicides sprayed on everything from wine grapes to fruits, nuts, cereal crops and vegetables. In the United States by 2009, the use of MSG had been approved for spraying on all agricultural products.
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